Groups Seek to Open 9 Charter Schools in Mississippi, Two in Jackson

Saturday, March 18, 2017

The board has approved four charter schools so far, all in Jackson, with three now open, including Midtown Public Charter School (pictured).
Photo by Imani Khayyam.

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Nine charter school operators say they are interested in opening new schools in Mississippi. The state's Charter School Authorizer Board announced Friday that two of the proposed schools would be in the Jackson school district. Operators have also proposed charter schools for Canton, Clarksdale, Columbus, Drew, Durant, Greenwood and Magnolia.

No organization that currently runs a charter school anywhere else is applying. Mississippi's process has heavily favored experienced operators in the past. Startup groups sometimes have trouble proving they have the money and institutional heft to run a school.

All groups must submit full applications by May 9 and some are likely to drop out. The board is scheduled to vote on proposals Sept. 11.

The state board has approved four charter schools so far, all in Jackson, with three now serving 500 children. One more is scheduled to open later. Charter schools remain a tiny share of Mississippi's overall public-school enrollment of 482,000.

Applicants for Jackson are:

— New Visions Prep Academy, which proposes to open a school in Jackson serving grades K-2 in 2018, growing to grades K-12. New Visions seeks approval to run multiple campuses under a single charter.